


Amethyst

by orphan_account



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-11 21:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19934587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Beverly Hargrove is the paternal cousin of Billy Hargrove. After his passing, she decides to come to Hawkins to help protect Max and unravel the true Neil Hargrove. This will result in some heartbreaking revelations - making Max doubt herself more than ever.





	Amethyst

The corvette shifted down the roads of Hawkins. Music blared throughout the area, vibrations could be felt within a mile. The driver had chestnut brown hair, curled mostly. Some areas were wavy. Her hair was fluffed up, one section held up with a white scrunchie. 

There was something oddly familiar about her. It wasn’t just the outfit and it wasn’t just the vibes. Her last name was Hargrove. Beverly Hargrove. Her dad is the brother of Neil, which made her and Billy cousins. She was heartbroken to hear about the death of someone who was like her brother. 

She also knew how Neil was very abusive. She remembered the bruises that resided on Billy’s body when he was younger, trying to protect his mother. It was scary. There were two reasons why she was here.

One is to help Max. Billy always talked about Max on the phone. He never hated her. The abuse he suffered led to isolation from people he truly cared about. Billy was only rough with Max because he didn’t want Neil to do anything worse. He didn’t want Neil to bash Max’s face for hours for just failing a test, so he always tried to warn her.

Secondly, she wanted to reveal the truth behind her uncle. She blamed him for Billy’s death, even though he died after being hosted by The Mind Flayer. Beverly wouldn’t stop UNTIL Neil got arrested for the shit he’s done. 

Her car approached Cherry Lane, the street that Max and Billy lived on. She saw the red-head skating down the concrete sidewalks. She parked on the side of the street, catching Max’s attention. Beverly ran some fingers through her hair, looking in the rear-view mirror. 

She took the key from the ignition, the car engine turning off. The car door swung open. Max looked over, her eyes squinting to see who it was. The female got out of the car. She wore a denim jacket, had sunglasses on the neck of her shirt, and had a pack of cigarettes in her hand. 

Beverly pushed the car door back, locking the car with her keys. She walked confidently to Max, smiling at the teenager. “You must be Max?” 

Max nodded, furrowing her eyebrows. “I’m sorry but who are you?” 

“I’m Beverly, _Beverly Hargrove…_ ” 

Max founded herself freeze, realizing who it was. It was Billy’s cousin from California. She looked so similar to Billy. How did Max not realize it?

“Oh my gosh, I haven’t seen you in years!” Max responded, hugging the now 17-year-old. Beverly added a small laugh, pulling away from the hug.

  
“I’m going to be staying here for a little while…”   
  
“I’m surprised, don’t you miss Cali?” 

“Hell yeah, but I need to find something here, I hope you understand…” 

Max looked down, knowing what topic was about to be mentioned. She hated talking about it. Max hated talking about Billy because she missed him so much.

“I know you’re still hurting, Max…” Beverly spoke after a slight moment of silence. Max gulped nervously. “It’s okay to be sad, I miss him too…” 

“We can’t talk about him…” Max responded, she seemed almost forceful and shaken up. 

Beverly furrowed her eyebrows, “Why not? He has a legacy, Max!” 

“ _Shh…_ He’s going to hear you!” Max shouted in a soft voice. She couldn’t speak about Billy because of Neil. He has forbidden anyone to speak about Billy. 

“It’s because of Uncle Neil, isn’t it?” Beverly responded gently, trying to lower her voice down. Max nodded, looking down nervously. Beverly observed Max’s arms and noticed bruises. She didn’t know if they were from Neil or from skateboarding - but she would soon find out.

“ _Oh my god, Beverly!_ ” A voice called out, causing her to turn. It was Neil. He had just opened the door, looking down at them both. “Come give me a hug, young lady!” 

Beverly found herself hesitant but forced herself to go hug him. She walked up to the lawn, approaching her uncle. She wrapped her arms around him, fake smiling. 

“I didn’t know you were coming to Hawkins?!” Neil responded, pulling away from the hug. “How’s your dad and everyone?” 

“Uh, they’re good… I could be better but I’m glad to be here with you all!” Beverly felt awkward but tried to make the conversation seem a bit better. Neil flashed a smile, his hand motioned for Max to come up and show Beverly around. 

Beverly turned around and saw Max hurrying up to them. Max welcomed her in and Beverly found herself stunned by the entry of the house. She remembered the phone calls with Billy.

_ “Her mom has put pictures of all of us throughout the whole damn house, it’s fucking embarrassing, Bev!”  _

Beverly found herself freeze up almost. All the pictures were down. The only one that resided was Max. _There were none of Billy_. She found herself tense up but hid her anger. 

“Max, will you please show her to the guest room?” Neil requested, his voice was clearly a bit demanding. The redhead nodded and showed her cousin-by-marriage to the room. The guest room was not just a room. It was Billy’s room. Most of the stuff had been removed.

Max had been trying to find some of his stuff for months, but Neil had hidden it away from her and everyone who came over. Beverly knew whose room it was because of Max’s sudden quietness. 

Beverly closed the door behind them both and gave Max a stare. “Max, are you okay?” 

Max shook her head, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. Beverly’s eyes softened, her mouth dropping a bit from shock. “I really miss him… but we aren’t allowed to talk about him…” 

“Why not?” Beverly questioned, as she sat back in the bed, that was once Billy’s. “Is this because of Uncle Neil?”

“I can’t say much right now…” Max replied, trying to sound as quiet as possible. She wiped away her tears, flashing a soft - fake smile to Beverly. “It was nice seeing you, Beverly.”

“Call me, Bev.” 

* * *

Max stayed in her room most days. The only time she got out was to meet up with Lucas, Dustin, and Mike. She hasn’t seen Eleven or Will in the weeks since their move. She felt lonely because things were just awkward with everyone. Plus, she missed Billy so much. 

It was hard. Max hated to admit the hurt and pain, but it was so fucking hard. Neil became abusive towards her for just talking about Billy. She had to lie to her mom about the bruises on her arms. 

It was just “failed” skateboarding attempts, that was all she said. That was the only thing she could say. Susan and Neil, those two were in love. Max wasn’t going to get in the way with a sob story. 

She remembered the times that Billy would come to her room after Neil punched the shit out of him. Max would be crying in the room, which would surprise Billy every time. They would talk and she would comfort him. She wishes she could tell him it’s okay again. It’s not okay, though. Now she’s fallen the victim of abuse. 

She missed him like hell, even despite all the fighting, arguing, and shit they said to each other. He was her protector, he was her brother, and now he was all gone. He was buried six feet under the ground. He was dead. Billy Hargrove didn’t exist anymore. 

* * *

  
  


Beverly pulled out her travel journal, opening it and began to write out the adventure. 

_ Damn, the drive here was so exhausting. I could’ve honestly just taken a plane, but I’d rather not. I listened to a lot of Duran Duran on my way here, it was just one of hundreds of Billy’s favorite groups. I had to prepare. I know the next month will be hell because I’m going to end up confronting Neil. I have to. For the sake of Billy’s legacy and Max’s life. Billy always told me about her in recent months over the phone, so I have to thank her for some way. Billy considered commiting suicide many times, but somehow - through her and Billy’s differences, she saved him. It amazes me. I never was able to do that when he was in Middle School, but I’m so glad someone was. There’s so many secrets that will be revealed, that I need to make some type of will, most likely. I know that Neil will try something with me, but I’m prepared, hopefully.  _

_ DATE: 10/15/1985  _

She closed the journal, hiding it away in a special pocket of her luggage bag. She sighed, looking out the window. The weather here was gloomy. It wasn’t as sunny as California. No wonder why Billy called this place a shithole, she thought to herself. It wasn’t the prettiest place. 

It kinda matched Neil’s aura. There was something odd. She had heard the stories of “monster-like” things. That’s how Billy “died.” She still blamed Neil. If she could, she’d kill her uncle herself. She just didn’t want to phase the consequences and hatred for killing him. 

She heard a knock on her door, causing her to flinch. She looked up, “Who is it?” Her voice was slightly shaky because it startled her. 

The door opened and there was Max. She walked in cautiously, closing the door behind her. She immediately locked it as quiet as she could. 

“Can I tell you _something_?” Max hesitantly asked, her hands were shaky. Beverly nodded, motioning for her to sit on the edge of the bed with her. Max did as she was told, looking down nervously.

  
“This is about Billy or Neil?” Beverly queried, knowing what the exact answer would be. This is exactly how Billy told her years ago. How he told of the abuse. How he cried his heart out and fearful for his safety. He didn’t know where his mom was. He didn’t know if she was dead or alive. 

“There’s a reason why we can’t talk about Billy in this house…” Max began, clearing her throat to try to make herself seem quieter. “Neil didn’t like Billy, not one bit, and once he died…” 

Max began to cry almost, her voice cracking afterward. She continued, “Once he died, I remember how he celebrated with friends after the funeral. I remember him throwing Billy’s stuff in a box and the box had the words TRASH on it…” 

Beverly found herself become nauseated, tears going down her face. 

“One day, I went and found the box and when I opened it and took some stuff out, he noticed… He came into my room, he was so fucking angry and he began to look through my room…”

The emotions were becoming strong in the room. Beverly looked out the window, tears sliding down her pale cheeks. 

“He was invading my privacy, but I was scared to tell him to stop… He found some of Billy’s jackets and the cologne I took… I grabbed everything of Billy’s - even the picture of his mom…” 

Beverly’s eyes widen, shaking her head and squinting her face, causing more tears to fall down.

“When he saw the picture, he turned to me and yelled, _this woman wasn’t your mom and that boy was a pussy - who deserved what he got, you understand, don’t you?_ ” 

Beverly turned around, looking at Max. She was nearly sobbing, she couldn’t get the words out. 

“A-And I remember talking back to him and saying, Billy was more than that, and that’s when he snapped… He slammed my head against the wall and he called me every word he could…” 

Max began to sob uncontrollably, holding her hand against her mouth. She felt so useless and worthless. Beverly pulled her into a deep embrace, rubbing Max’s back.

“It’s okay, I’m here and I’m going to save you, okay?” Beverly’s voice was so soft and caring. It was so different to have that support. 

“Listen, you’re going to have to be careful, Beverly…” Max whispered softly, not wanting Neil to hear. “ _He has a gun and he’s not afraid to use it...._ ” 

With that sentence, Beverly froze. She still held onto Max, pretending to be this brave hero, but knew the upcoming few days would be a nightmare. 

“I won’t let him hurt you, even if it means me getting hurt, he’s going to pay…” Beverly whispered carefully, brushing her fingers through the teenager’s hair. She would do whatever it takes to save Max. Just like Billy. All the things Billy did to make sure Max didn’t get abused. 

“What are we going to do?” 

“You’ll see, it might amaze you or it might scare you, I just need you to answer some questions…”   
  


“This feels like some type of interrogation, are you secretly one of those Russians?” Max joked, causing Beverly to laugh a bit. 

“I just need to know when their date nights are because you and I - we will be doing our own things them nights… Investigations…” 

Max was amazed by the 17-year-old. She was so strong. She was the definition of a female Billy. Max meant that. _A new protector and justice will be served for Billy!_


End file.
